Tag Archives: Sweden

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In his beautiful retro/modern gaming systems, Swedish designer and craftsman Love Hultén combines technology with classical artisan techniques. His wood encased computers and classic arcade games are both lovely and functional. Hand-crafted and refined, the technique, ornamentation and finish are traditionally Swedish.

“Hultén wants to resuscitate a fading culture and create curiosity towards the origin of video gaming, pushing gaming into a new context, making the arcade an artistic equivalent to the painting on your wall.

By working with materials that, without regular maintenance and daily care, grows a unique patina, the expiry date of a product is extended. The product will breathe through time, rather than get suffocated by it.”

For the gaming units, vintage arcade favorites such as Pac Man and Asteroids are encased in solid wood. Joystick pads and controllers are made from walnut, and custom leather bags are available for some portable units. Hultén’s works were recently shown in his first US show at the Holy Circuit exhibit at Austere in Los Angeles, California.

One thing I really like about the internet is the ability to stumble upon years-old gems. Angelica Ström is a Sweden-based photographer, or at least she was in 2011 when these images were originally posted. Captured anonymously from behind there’s a strong sense of angst youth and experimentation with light, setting and posture.

At least in the United States, subways are often thought of as utilitarian spaces quickly passed through during rush hour. Sweden’s Stockholm Metro, however, is filled with bright colors, mosaics, bas relief, even, installations and sculpture created over the past 60 years. Often considered one of the continent’s most beautiful metro systems, the city takes the underground art very seriously. For the price of a ticket, the system offers guided tours with a Metro expert. Further, the Stockholm Metro hosts temporary art exhibits in addition to its six decades worth of permanent art. Next time your in Sweden be sure to schedule some time underground.

Swedish designers and architects have taken the fad of adult tree house building and made it extraordinarily Swedish in the best way possible at the Tree Hotel. Mirror houses, UFOs with star-print sheets, giant bird nests; these exist in real life. What a wonderful world.( via )

Moody, slightly surreal paintings from Swedish artist Markus Åkesson. Åkesson’s works touch on the quiet, interior relationship we have with death. But the artist doesn’t present death as the scary, violent experience that so many make it out to be, but as a peaceful, very natural phenomenon. And his use of animals and children works really nicely to heighten this impression. Åkesson is currently exhibiting work at the VIDA museum in Borgholm. (via)

Sometimes the Internet works in funny ways. Case in point is the photography of Maria Friberg, whose series “Still Lives” was shot between 2003-2007 and is just now getting viral attention online. The Swedish artist likes to reflect Man’s relationship to nature and so maybe the public is drawn to her images as subconscious reminders that we all need to do our part in order to help our planet. Especially since we’re only getting closer and closer to point of no return. (via)

Portlander/Swede, Edward Jeffrey Kriksciun staged a wonderful show featuring paper cutouts at Portland’s tremendous space, Nationale, in 2009. In November of last year, he came back to Nationale to exhibit drawings and collage that give us an idea of what Saul Steinberg’s work might look like if he were still around.